Winner Takes All
by Tayako
Summary: Taiya is a heartless demon who kills massive amounts of people for the sheer pleasure of it...or so it seems. Can the Spirit Detectives put a stop to this? ...I suck at summaries. R and R please!
1. Chapter I

Hello everyone! It's me, Tayako, bringing you my first story, "Winner Takes All". I hope you enjoy!  
  
--This fanfic is dedicated to Tia Mawanay. Please don't drink and drive, for the price is heavy. It cost me my best friend.--  
  
Chapter I  
  
The full moon shone brightly in the velvet night sky, hanging from an invisible thread, little slivers of light streaming through the blinds of Kurama's open bedroom window. He sat on his bed, his bedside lamp on, reading a book, when there was an almighty crash that nearly gave the red- haired boy a heart attack. He looked up quickly, his heart racing, searching for the culprit of the noise, and found him almost immediately. The kitsune rolled his eyes and sighed, shaking his head. Hiei was sprawled on the windowsill, tangled up in the blinds. He threw Kurama a very nasty look. "As soon as you help me get out of here, baka, you are going to be one dead kitsune. Why the hell did you put these things--" he held up his arms, wrapped in the narrow sheets of plastic. "-on your window?"  
  
Kurama put down his book, smiling slightly, and managed to untangle Hiei and the blinds in a relatively short amount of time, even if the blinds were not exactly intact by the time he was through with them. The small fire demon brushed himself off, seemingly oblivious to the death warrant he had given his red-haired friend mere minutes ago.  
  
"What in the Three Worlds are you doing here at this hour?" asked a bewildered Kurama. He turned to look at his alarm clock. "It's two-thirty in the morning."  
  
Hiei scowled at him, his red eyes flashing like rubies under a bright sun. "I can go where I want to go when I want to go there. You're not my mother."  
  
The kitsune grinned. "You sound a lot like-"  
  
"A lot like Yusuke, I know, I know," the fire demon said, waving him off. "Anyway, I came to." He broke off, staring at the door.  
  
Someone was running up the steps to the bedroom.  
  
The two turned quickly to each other. Kurama snatched the smaller demon's collar and dragged him to the closet. "Stay here," he said, throwing Hiei in. "And for Kami-sama's sake, don't make a sound!"  
  
The bedroom door opened just as Kurama shut the closet door. A woman with long black hair came in, looking worried.  
  
"Oh, Shuichi," Minamino Shiori said, hurrying over to him. "What on Earth happened? What was that awful noise?" Her eyes roved over the room, searching for an intruder. Then she caught sight of the window. The blinds had been ripped to shreds. "Oh, my goodness.what happened here?"  
  
"I was trying to close the blinds and the string broke. It took everything down with it." Kurama was a smooth liar; he had had more than three hundred years of practice, and most of it was guilt-free. However, he felt bad about lying to his mother, who had done much for him for the past sixteen years of his ningen life, but if you're a kitsune master thief wanted for numerous crimes disguised as a ningen, well, what can you do?  
  
Shiori sighed wearily. "We're going to have to get that fixed."  
  
Kurama chuckled. "That goes without saying, Kaasan." He yawned, trying to send his mother a hint that she should leave.  
  
She kissed him on the cheek. "No more loud noises tonight, all right, Shuichi?"  
  
"All right. Good night, 'Kaasan."  
  
Shiori left, shutting the door quietly behind her. Kurama let out the breath he had been holding all during their encounter. He strode over to the closet and flung open the door. Hiei was sitting on a pile of shirts, looking extremely irritated. "You could have given me a warning, you know."  
  
"I had no idea she was coming. Anyway, why on Earth are you here?"  
  
Hiei got out of the closet and brushed himself off again. "I came to tell you that we have a new case. Yes, I know this is Botan's job," he said, seeing the skeptical look on his friend's face. "But I'm following orders."  
  
Kurama smirked. "Something that you almost never do."  
  
"Don't push me, kitsune." Hiei glared at him. "I'm supposed to tell you to wait outside your school building tomorrow after your classes are done. The Detective, the baka, the Grim Reaper, and I will be waiting for you. From there we're going to the Yusuke's house. We're going to watch the video there."  
  
"Video? What video?"  
  
Hiei rolled his eyes. "The video of the case, of course. It's obviously too late to show it now; everyone's asleep except us." He went to the window, the mangled blinds on the floor. "Don't forget or I might have to hurt you."  
  
Kurama grinned. "You could never hurt me and you know it."  
  
"Hn."  
  
Hiei disappeared into the darkness. Kurama sighed, climbed back into bed, and turned off the light. He had a feeling that this case was going to be a big one. He needed as much sleep as possible before it was time for him to get ready for school.  
  
Which was in about three hours.  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+  
  
"Shuichi! Could you help-"  
  
"Shuichi, will you go out with-"  
  
"I love you, Shuichi!"  
  
Kurama walked past the girls screaming at him in the hallway, yawning widely. He was exhausted from last night's ordeal. Even though the rest of the night had been quiet and uneventful, he couldn't fall asleep, and spent his remaining three hours of rest tossing and turning in bed. Now he was paying for his restlessness. Those girls were giving him a headache.  
  
He finally managed to get to the door leading to freedom and stepped outside. The warm sun beat down on his face and he turned it up to the sky, welcoming the pleasant rays of the sun on his skin.  
  
"Hey, Kurama!"  
  
A very familiar voice made him turn around. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Hiei, and Botan were standing outside the school building. Yusuke and Kuwabara were leaning against the brick wall, hands shoved in their pockets. Hiei was standing next to Yusuke, his normally expressionless face staring at Kuwabara with loathing. Botan was waving at him from her spot next to Kuwabara. Kurama smiled and walked over to them.  
  
Yusuke grinned. "So how's our favorite fox-boy doing?" He stretched and yawned loudly. "Man, I'm tired.I guess Hiei told you about our case, huh. We're going to my place to watch the tape.I really wish I didn't have to work for the toddler."  
  
"Um.Yusuke," Botan said, sighing, "We don't have time for small talk. We have to get to your house as soon as possible. This case is extremely important; even if you don't know that, the rest of us seem to at least realize it."  
  
"Yeah, Botan-chan's right," Kuwabara nodded. "We should get going."  
  
Yusuke looked at him suspiciously. "Why do you always take her side when Yukina's not around?"  
  
"WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?!"  
  
Botan groaned. "WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP!!? WE HAVE TO GO!!"  
  
Hiei rolled his eyes. "Here's a thought: ALL of you shut up so we can leave!"  
  
Kurama chuckled, shaking his head as they began walking. Those four were impossible. "So how was school?"  
  
"It sucked," Yusuke and Kuwabara said in unison.  
  
Kuwabara pouted. "I lost a fight."  
  
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "Takenaka caught me trying to sneak out. Hey Botan," he said, addressing the blue-haired girl. "Do you have any idea of what this case is about?"  
  
She shook her head. "No, Yusuke. Koenma hasn't given me any leads. I'd tell you if he did."  
  
They walked in silence for the rest of the way.  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+  
  
So. . . a new case. . . read on to find out what happens! 


	2. Chapter II

Chapter II  
  
They were all sitting in Yusuke's living room around the television. Yusuke fed the tape in his battered VCR, praying that it would work this time. Normally when you put in a tape all it did was emit weird green sparks and the faint smell of rotten eggs.  
  
But today, thankfully, everything seemed to be in working order. Yusuke joined the others in their half-circle on the floor. The television screen flickered for a moment, showing black and grey static, then a toddler with a blue pacifier in his mouth appeared behind the smooth glass.  
  
"Hello everyone," Koenma said around his pacifier. "As you know, I've got another case for you. A new demon for you to track down. Her name's Taiya and she's wanted for at least fifteen different crimes, one of them being theft. We've never been able to get a trail from her, but now we have one. It's up to you four boys to find her. Reliable sources have informed me that she's in the Tokyo area and won't be leaving for a long time.oh, yes.here's a picture. Be careful; she's extremely dangerous. Good luck." A picture appeared on the screen, and everyone gaped at it, lost for words.  
  
A beautiful girl stared menacingly out at them, her liquid black eyes daring them to cross her in any way. Glossy chin-length black hair framed her creamy skin, free of blemishes or freckles. Yusuke pressed the Stop button and everyone was silent for a few seconds.  
  
Kuwabara was the first to speak. "Well, I think she'll be pretty easy to find," he ventured. "It's not like you could find anyone prettier than her."  
  
Yusuke turned to Kurama. "You're both thieves. Where do you think she's located? Maybe you think alike."  
  
The red haired boy shook his head. "One, we don't know what she's thinking. Two, we don't know where she's hiding. Three, not all thieves think alike."  
  
Botan bit her knuckle, thinking hard. "Where on Earth should we start? Tokyo has so many people and it's so big!"  
  
Kurama sighed. "Well, we're going to have to do it the old fashioned way."  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+  
  
This was a short yet tedious chapter. It's going to get more exciting, I promise. 


	3. Chapter III

Oh, before I forget: I don't own YYH.  
  
Chapter III  
  
After three long days of doing nothing but search for Taiya, Yusuke let out a frustrated yell in a crowded park, causing passers-by to stare at him.  
  
"FOR CHRIST'S SAKE!!" he shouted. "WE'VE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BUT SEARCH!! HOW MUCH FREAKIN' LONGER IS THIS GONNA TAKE?!?"  
  
Kuwabara was just as exasperated. "We've gone everywhere in Tokyo. We've searched all the restaurants, shopping malls, and even office buildings, and we still have no leads! We haven't even SEEN the damn broad! Is this really worth it?" He sighed and shook his head. "You know, sometimes I could just kill that stupid toddler for making us do all this stupid stuff."  
  
"Yuuuuuuusukeeee!!"  
  
Botan sped towards the four boys on her oar, wearing her usual pink kimono. She reached them and dismounted. "I've been looking everywhere for you four! Have you found any information on where Taiya could be hiding?"  
  
Kurama shrugged. "Not a clue." Botan sighed.  
  
"This is turning out to be harder than Koenma-sama said it would be. He ought to try doing this instead of sitting behind his desk doing all that pointless paperwork of his. I'm glad I haven't had to really guide any souls to the Reikai for a while; I've been able to focus on the Taiya case."  
  
There was a small pop as Koenma appeared before them in all his teenage glory. "What, you think I haven't been doing anything for the last three days?"  
  
Botan shrieked. "KOENMA-SAMA!!"  
  
Yusuke fell over. "DON'T DO THAT!! YOU KNOW WE'RE NOT USED TO YOU BEING AT EYE LEVEL!!"  
  
Koenma rolled his eyes. "Well, get used to it. I'll be doing it a lot more often. So," he said quietly. "Any new leads on Taiya?"  
  
Hiei shook his head. "No."  
  
"Well, I have one." Koenma looked solemn. "There was an explosion today at a corporate building a few miles away from here, on the outskirts of Tokyo. I really hate to say this, Botan, but you have a job to do. . . and I think we all know who caused the explosion."  
  
Botan's hands flew to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears.  
  
"Taiya."  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~  
  
TAIYA!!! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT?? Read on to find out what happens! 


	4. Chapter IV

Chapter IV  
  
Luckily, Yusuke and the others had driven to the park to look, so after Botan zoomed away, they got in Yusuke's car and went to the explosion site.  
  
"How bad do you think it is?" Kuwabara asked, looking out the passenger side window. "A lot of people probably died, huh?"  
  
Hiei, who was sitting behind Yusuke, rolled his eyes in exasperation. "No shit, Sherlock."  
  
"Remember? Koenma said that Botan had a new job to do. She probably had to guide the spirits of all the deceased to the Reikai," Kurama said. He was sitting next to Hiei in the back. "That's why she was so upset. It's sad, knowing that all those innocent people died because of one heartless being."  
  
They were silent for the rest of the ride.  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+  
  
When they got to the wrecked building, they saw a border of yellow caution tape surrounding the heap of rubble. Police officers in blue uniforms conversed amongst themselves in low and urgent voices. Yusuke groaned, smacking himself in the forehead. "Great. This is really great. How the hell are we supposed to get in there and look for clues if the friggin' cops are here?"  
  
"I can help you there, Yusuke."  
  
Yusuke fell over again. "JESUS, KOENMA!!"  
  
Koenma grinned, his blue pacifier sticking out of his mouth even in his teenage form. "Sorry. Almost forgot: I'm going to initiate a temporary time stop so you four can search around and find things that could help us out. And be careful, there's loads of sharp metal around, don't want to lose a finger, do you? Well, best of luck!" He turned to leave.  
  
"And where are YOU going?" Kuwabara asked, glaring at Koenma. "Aren't you going to help us?"  
  
The demigod looked at the orange haired boy. "Erm. . .Kuwabara, I'd love to, but I've got no time. I'm off to do my paperwork. I love paperwork."  
  
"Oh, oka-waaaaitaminit," Kuwabara said, confused. "Didn't you say that you hated pape-"  
  
"Sayonara!" Koenma said very loudly as he vanished with a small pop. Kuwabara scowled. "Friggin' pansy-hey, the cops and other people aren't moving anymore! Koenma must have used the time-thing! We should be able to go in now."  
  
"Right." They all climbed over the yellow tape and walked around the area, looking for anything that stood out against the fragments of steel and concrete.  
  
Yusuke groaned. "This'll take friggin' forever. What are we looking for anyway?"  
  
Kurama sighed. "Haven't you been listening to the authoress at all?"  
  
"Erm. . .no."  
  
"We're supposed to look for anything that stands out against the fragments of steel and concrete, which, incidentally, we are up to our ankles in. Try to pay attention next time."  
  
"Right, right."  
  
They searched for about an hour, looking under pieces of concrete, steel, and plaster to see if there was anything unusual that could be salvaged. It was a hot and tiring job. Before the hour was done, all of them were quite sweaty, as the day was extremely warm.  
  
Hiei decided to give up. "This is stupid," he grumbled, leaning on his sword. "We've searched for an hour and found absolutely nothing. Let's just forget about this."  
  
"No, Hiei!" Kuwabara said, standing up straight. "This is a very important mission! What'll happen if we fail it? There'll be chaos in the world!"  
  
Yusuke rolled his eyes. "There's already chaos in the world, baka. You just wanna see that girl."  
  
Kuwabara blushed. "No, Urameshi! That's not it!"  
  
"Like hell it isn't."  
  
Kurama shook his head. As he did so, something glittered in the sunlight, catching his eye. For a moment he thought it might be scrap metal, but it was too bright. Ignoring the argument going on between his three friends, he went over to it and saw what it really was.  
  
It was a small round box made of white alabaster. He tried to open it, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't pry it open. Upon further inspection, he saw a golden keyhole and mentally smacked himself. Of course he couldn't open it. He made to put it in his pocket, but he decided to take one last look at it. What he saw made his eyes widen.  
  
"Taiya" was engraved into the smooth stone.  
  
Kurama turned to the others.  
  
"It seems we have our lead."  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+  
  
Yes, Kurama, it seems you do have your much-needed lead. Read on to find out what happens! 


	5. Chapter V

Chapter V  
  
They all sat on Kurama's bedroom floor in their pajamas, looking at the alabaster box. All of them except for Hiei, that is, for he was sitting on the windowsill, wearing his customary black cloak. The red haired boy had invited them to stay the night since nothing eventful was happening to either of them that night and they needed to talk about their case.  
  
"Do you have any idea what this is, Kurama?" Yusuke asked his friend, looking at the small white case.  
  
The kitsune shook his head. "No idea."  
  
Kuwabara spoke up. "My sister has something like that. . .she puts her jewelry in it. But it doesn't have a keyhole or anything. Her jewelry's not that expensive."  
  
"So. . .maybe something valuable's in there." Yusuke said, his eyes glittering. "Wonder how much it's worth?" He reached for the box. Kurama quickly grabbed his outstretched arm.  
  
"Yusuke, no! It probably means something to her!"  
  
"So?"  
  
"So that's stealing!" Kuwabara yelled, smacking Yusuke in the head. "That's not very nice!"  
  
Kurama smiled slightly. "Kuwabara, I admire your integrity, I really do, but being nice is really not the point."  
  
"If whatever that box has in it is so important to Taiya, she'll almost certainly come back for it," Hiei said, rolling his eyes. "It's just a little bit predictable."  
  
The door opened and Shiori's smiling face appeared. "Is there anything I can get you boys before I go to bed?"  
  
Her son shook his head. "No, 'Kaasan, we'll be fine."  
  
Kuwabara nodded at her. "Thank you for letting us stay the night."  
  
"Oh, it's no problem. I always tell Shuichi that he needs to invite more friends over. Well, good night, everyone." She shut the door quietly.  
  
Yusuke yawned. "Well, I'm out. 'Night, everyone." He crawled over to his sleeping bag and embedded himself in it. Kuwabara did the same, mumbling goodnight.  
  
Kurama sighed and turned to Hiei. "Going to sleep anytime soon?"  
  
"Hn."  
  
The red haired boy shrugged. "Well, goodnight." He got up, went to his bed, and tried to fall asleep.  
  
+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+  
  
Three hours later, Kurama still tossed and turned restlessly in his bed, wide awake. He couldn't take this anymore. Creeping over to his closet, he withdrew a tee-shirt and jeans and went to the bathroom to change. When he finished, he crept back into the room, put the alabaster box in his pocket, and left the house.  
  
The night air was cool against the kitsune's skin. A light breeze rustled the leaves of the trees above as he started to walk past the different houses. It was so peaceful out. The moon shone white like spilled milk on a black countertop. Stars dotted the sky in countless numbers. Kurama smiled, enjoying the atmosphere.  
  
And then something rock hard hit him in the back.  
  
He fell over, eyes widening in pain. Someone grabbed his collar, yanked him to his feet, and he felt considerable pain when the mysterious someone began punching him in the stomach, hard and fast. Kurama reached for the rose in his hair.  
  
"Rose Whip!" The green spiked weapon lashed out, barely missing his attacker.  
  
A female voice cried out. "Spirit Staff!"  
  
There was a sensation of being hit thousands of times with an aluminum baseball bat just before the kitsune fell to the ground. He tasted blood. Two very familiar voices rang out in the still night air.  
  
"Oh, my God! KURAMA!!"  
  
"SPIRIT GUN!!"  
  
Then he knew no more.  
  
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KURAMA!! NOOOOO!!! NEXT CHAPTER!!! 


End file.
